Author: Hamza Rufai

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan stirred reactions on Tuesday after referring to the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, as “my good friend” during a public event. News Point Nigeria reports that Jonathan made the remark at the public presentation of My Life of Duty and Allegiance, the autobiography of former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon. The comment immediately triggered laughter across the hall, forcing the former president, who chaired the occasion, to briefly pause his welcome remarks. Jonathan and Sanusi have a history marked by political tension dating back to Sanusi’s tenure as Governor of the Central Bank…

FORMER Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has emerged as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections, securing the party’s ticket for an eighth term in the Senate. News Point Nigeria reports that Lawan’s emergence followed consultations among APC leaders and stakeholders in the senatorial district, culminating in his endorsement after what party officials described as a successful screening exercise conducted on Monday. In a statement issued on Monday, the former Senate President, who has represented Yobe North in the National Assembly since 1999, described his emergence as a…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the building collapse in Abuja that claimed five lives, with the developer and an engineer linked to the project set to face arrest. News Point Nigeria reports that Wike gave the directive on Monday after visiting the site of the collapse in the Durumi 3 area of Abuja, near Gudu Market, where a building under construction caved in on Saturday morning. The incident, which occurred at about 9:00am, left five people dead and several others injured. According to the Mandate Secretary for Health and…

THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has appointed former governors Liyel Imoke and Abdulfatah Ahmed to head key committees that will oversee its presidential primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that under the new arrangement, Imoke will serve as Chairman of the Presidential Screening Committee, while Abdulfatah Ahmed has been named Chairman of the Presidential Election Committee as the party moves to structure its presidential selection process. The appointments were announced in a statement on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who said the decision was aimed at strengthening transparency, credibility, and fairness…

LEADER of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, on Sunday condemned the abduction of 87 students and teachers in Borno and Oyo states within 24 hours. News Point Nigeria reports that Bamidele, also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, added that the recent abduction accentuated the need to expedite the establishment of state police currently under consideration at the National Assembly. He made the remarks in a statement by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday, calling for concerted and strategic measures to make schools safe nationwide and tame the rising number of…

ALMOST a month after a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos granted interim injunctions halting the enforcement of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 (DEON) pending judicial review, telecom operators have yet to restore suspended services, leaving an estimated 40 million subscribers and habitual micro-credit users stranded. News Point Nigeria reports that the development followed the enforcement action announced in April by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), which sparked controversy across the telecommunications industry. The details of the court order were contained in proceedings before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High…

THE All Progressives Congress has published the names of House of Representatives hopefuls disqualified from contesting in the party’s primaries in a number of states, including Ondo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Kogi and Rivers, ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections. News Points Nigeria reports that the list, released on Saturday, was contained in an official statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, following the conclusion of the screening exercise for aspirants seeking the APC ticket. According to the party, the screening panels assessed candidates based on the APC’s approved guidelines and procedures to determine those qualified to participate…

INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission has announced that all 22 registered political parties in Nigeria have successfully submitted their membership registers in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 ahead of the 2027 general election. The Commission made the disclosure in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Friday and signed by the Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna. According to the statement, the submissions were completed following an extension granted to political parties after concerns were raised over the original deadline. INEC explained that the extension followed a stakeholders’ meeting held with political…

THE Sokoto State Executive Council has approved contracts worth over N7.5 billion for vehicles, road rehabilitation and infrastructure projects across the state. News  Point Nigeria reports that the approvals is N1.46 billion for the purchase of official vehicles for the governor’s office, including three bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs, two 2025 Toyota Prado SUVs and a Coaster bus. The approvals were announced on Wednesday after the State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Sokoto. The state Commissioner for Transport, Bala Kokani, said the council also approved N438 million for the direct purchase of six buses for the…

THE National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has explained why former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, failed to join the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking during a Hausa political programme on DITV Kaduna on Tuesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Baba-Ahmed said talks between the PRP and both politicians collapsed after disagreements over conditions attached to their proposed entry into the party. According to him, although Obi and Kwankwaso approached the PRP for possible collaboration, negotiations later stalled after…

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has published the minimum UTME cut-off marks approved by universities nationwide for the 2026 admission cycle. News Point Nigeria reports that the benchmarks, submitted by individual institutions, were presented to journalists during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday. Among the schools, Pan-Atlantic University set the highest minimum cut-off mark at 220. A number of leading universities, including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, and Covenant University, pegged their minimum score at 200. In Lagos State, Lagos…

FORMER Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has expressed outrage over the death of former House of Representatives member, Hon. Abba Anas Adamu, who was reportedly abducted by bandits along the Kaduna-Abuja highway on May 3, 2026, and died in captivity nine days later on May 12 despite efforts by his family to secure his release. Atiku, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the incident as another grim reminder of what he called the worsening collapse of security under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “His death is yet…

FORMER Kano State Governor and chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said the death of former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua created the confusion surrounding Nigeria’s North-South power rotation arrangement. News Point Nigeria reports that Kwankwaso stated that giving the 2027 presidential ticket to the South remains the best way to resolve the lingering debate over zoning and regional power sharing. The former governor made the remarks during an interview on Arise TV on Monday while defending the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to zone its presidential ticket to the South ahead of the 2027…

THE Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has expressed confidence that Nigerians, particularly those from the northern region, will vote for President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Governor Sani said Tinubu has successfully stabilised the Nigerian economy since assuming office in 2023. The governor questioned what the opposition, who frequently criticise the president, could do differently, noting that they have yet to present any viable alternatives. “They will vote for him for two reasons. You see, most of those people opposing…

SUSPECTED terrorists operating around the Dansadau axis of Zamfara State have ambushed commuters travelling along the Magami-Dansadau road, killing an unspecified number of travellers and abducting several others. A resident of Magami, who pleaded for anonymity for security reasons, told News Point Nigeria that the incident occurred on Sunday between 4 and 5 pm when the attackers opened fire on vehicles travelling along the notorious route. According to him, so far, 10 dead bodies have been recovered. “As you are aware, the road from Magami to Dansadau requires the escort of security agents to safely lead commuters to their communities.…

THE Federal Government has intensified pressure on telecommunications operators to improve service quality across Nigeria, warning that subscribers must begin to experience better connectivity and value for money. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, said the government had already introduced major reforms to stabilise the telecom sector, stressing that operators must now address persistent network failures affecting millions of users. “It is now the responsibility of telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and…

THE Federal Government has called on the World Bank to expedite the approval and disbursement of project funds to Nigeria, threatening to cancel any of the loans delayed beyond six months. A statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwa, on Friday, noted that the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, appealed in Abuja during a courtesy visit by a World Bank delegation led by Manager of the World Bank Team, Treed Lane. He stressed that the facilities are loans that the country is…

THE Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has passed a vote of confidence in its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, and vice-chairman, Governor Uba Sani, reaffirming its support for their leadership amid rumours of internal divisions within the forum. News Point Nigeria reports that the endorsement was made during a closed-door meeting of APC governors in Abuja and was later reiterated during a press briefing. Governor Nasir Idris moved the motion expressing confidence in Uzodimma’s leadership, while Governor Uba Sani seconded it. Addressing journalists after the meeting, Idris dismissed speculations about Uzodimma’s alleged removal as PGF chairman, stating that the governors remained united…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has directed the Police Monitoring Unit to investigate allegations linking two senior police officers, CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba, to the disappearance and alleged killing of Abubakar Idris. News Point Nigeria reports that the directive followed a series of petitions submitted on Friday by Kano-based activist and human rights lawyer, Abba Hikima. The petitions, seen by our reporter and addressed to the IGP, drew attention to claims made by Muhammad Musa Kamarawa, a former Senior Special Assistant to the immediate past Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle. Kamarawa alleged that the officers…

THE Senate has reversed its recent amendment to the Standing Orders, effectively reopening the contest for key leadership positions in the 11th National Assembly and potentially creating room for fresh contenders in the race for Senate President in 2027. News Point Nigeria reports that the decision followed a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who explained that the amendments made two days earlier to Section 2, Subsection 2, and Section 3, Subsection 1, could, upon further legislative and constitutional review, create constitutional inconsistencies and unintended tensions. With the reversal, all duly elected senators are now eligible to participate…